This invention relates to a torque clutch or connector and more particularly to one that may be actuated whenever the torque applied to the driving elements overcomes the individual bias of the movable elements.
Certain prior art devices are generally known wherein they are used to provide accurate overload protection in a mechanical power transmission system. These particular clutches generally act as a torque limiter and disengage the motor drives from the driven portions of the machinery to protect the entire system. One such device is that of U.S. Pat. No. 3,124,227 issued Mar. 10, 1964 and assigned to assignee, entitled "Automatically Resetting Torque Clutch". It will be noted that the device is resettable after having been actuated. Such clutches use a spring-loaded movable pawl and detent encased to provide a proper torque for the machinery. While this particular structure may be made to handle different torque ratings, it is achieved through the change of one of the springs in the mechanism.
Another U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,616 granted Mar. 6, 1979 entitled "Torque Limiting Devices" makes use of a plurality of balls engagable in respective pairs of seats formed in adjacent faces of the clutch so as to automatically hold the device in disengagement when a torque over-load causes the balls to move out of the seats and thus forces the faces away from one another against the action of the spring. However, there is no provision in this mechanism to adjust each of the biased elements individually or provide any differences or deviation in torque that may be applied depending upon the driving direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,946 entitled "Torque Over-Load Sensing Device" granted Mar. 17, 1981 has a ball-receiving portion that is equal in number to the ball-driving portion and the structure is made so that the device utilizes the same spring means for resiliently loading a switch plate and for setting the maximum driving torque. Thus, this particular mechanism makes no provision for individual loading of the different balls, nor does it make any provision to have the mechanism torque sensitive, depending upon the direction that the device is being rotated.